Sniff it out

A few studies have noted the ability of dogs to correctly diagnose cancer in some people.

It's just amazing now that scientists have figured out how to replicate this with devices.

Wonders never cease.

Happy Monday!

On the ropes

This guy is back again.

Things got better. But time is not his friend. He's getting older, and now he's sicker.  We can flush him out, but will have to wait to see if he will make it through the latest crisis.

He's a guy we like: friendly, funny, loves his doggies (big ones and small ones) and his wife.  He has good friends who've been there with him and her the whole time.

Now, we pray. That he gets up that hill again, before the avalanche takes him out.

The men are happy

Bubba and Dahey are sitting watching TV. Their show of choice: some animal show which is surprising, since Dahey's usually got the History Channel, American Pickers, or Pawn Stars.

Bubba is a big fan of dogs. I should have known he'd be getting WildDog going by watching a show with a bunch of puppies in it.

Simple things: dogs, dinner in front of the TV and ice cream.

Life IS beautiful.

Hope your weekend is too, wherever you are.

You have to wonder

So many ponderables in life...

1. How people really think they can counterfeit (or adulterate) something like food or drugs and no one will know?

2. How many people will really believe this dog is a lion?

or finally,

3. How you can recently win one of the biggest sporting events ever then give it up after a loss in Cincinnati? (No offense to R. and all my friends there)

Just wondering...

Think pink

Now it all makes sense. Monday madness was just a harbinger of the full moon at the Hotel. But this one is special. It's pink and in some areas (not RehabLand, though), there's even a lunar eclipse.

No dogs eating girls this time, but it should be interesting!

Stay tuned...

Always a sobering thought...

You go out for a walk and your kid gets away from you...lost.

Got stopped by the local PD today. A little boy in RehabLand is out there alone with his dog. The cop thought Bubba (running ahead of course, since WildDog is so geriatric...) might be him.

It's frightening to even think about it.

More later.

Resolutions

A new year means new resolutions.

2013 came (finally) after what seemed to be unrelenting drama here in RehabLand, both personally and professionally. I saw births and deaths (often too many of the latter) and I found out that I don't really need to highlight my hair anymore, because lots of it is turning white. Yes, I hear stress will do that to you and does show up in those follicles. Only my hairdresser knows, but those follicles would have one heck of a story after this past year.

Thankfully, the stressors are slowly going away. No one has died yet this year (crossing fingers). Bubba got the flu after I waited too long to get him a flu shot, but thankfully, with speedy antiviral treatment, he's doing well. The boss is leaving, but supposedly, we have candidates for replacement. I'm still waiting for a new manager that I asked for at Christmas. Hopefully, someone will start before the folks who are nearing retirement are ready to go this year (we have a few candidates).

I am learning to just keep going. The administrative hellhole that paperwork tends to fall in at the Hotel is still there (just fished out some stuff that went missing a month ago) and got my coworker K. to rescue some more. I am plugging away at new projects that really will change the face of our little clinic and the way we take care of patients.


My biggest resolution is to better myself physically. Stress took a toll last year, on more than just the hair. I bought myself a cool little pedometer that links into my computer. I have been tracking my diet and exercise. I am enjoying not being a student at the moment.

The short term may be stressful, but when I look to the long term, the future, I am encouraged.

There's a saying that the race belongs not to the swift, but to those who keep on running. That's my plan, to keep on going, for me, for my little white hair follicles, for Bubba, Dahey and WildDog.

Stay tuned!

Is it the end?

It certainly is almost the end of the weekend and the end of the year. I will miss that, the weekend part, anyway.

WildDog is getting slower and more incontinent. Not sure when/if his end will come soon. I thought about it the other day when I wrote the Christmas letter. We have had WildDog since before Bubba was born, and he was about 5 years old when we got him. He is getting gray around his muzzle, too.

Even though, he's an old dog, he loves the head scratches and ear rubs.

My car is making all sorts of noises. Dahey is in charge of investigating that. What joy! It's older than Bubba and almost as old as WildDog.

I'm thinking it might be time to just buy a little compact to go back and forth to work, since I'm lucky enough to be close to the Hotel.

Plenty to think about...

My plan

Is to stay here under ground watching TV with Bubba and WildDog while we wait for all the crazy, tornadic weather to head on over and out. Dahey is stuck at work where it's been raining like cats and dogs all afternoon.

I can't wait until winter and snow show up again...this storm crap is OLD!!

I'm so glad I'm not at the Hotel. Evacuating patients is worse than having a herd of 10 year old kvetching about not having a fully charged Nintendo DS (or other gaming device.)

Back to the pacing dog...

Weekend delights

Child who stays up late wakes up early...at 0500.

Why? There's a leak in his room from the dehumidifier he noticed when he got out of bed.

Husband's cell phone has an annoying chirp whenever the battery runs low on power. This started going off before 0500.Trying to hunt it down in the dark was a treat, since it only beeps every 30 seconds.

Dog is now barking, because, don't you know it's 0600 and you people usually feed me by now.

Will be so glad when they leave to go to the driving range so I can go back to sleep...

Fun things to do on the weekend

1. Herd the dog and the kid out of the way. Why is it everyone hunkers down right near where I need to be?

2. Clean (since you've already herded the kid and dog in #1) Start by vacuuming. Hope the door stays locked and the kid stays interested in what he's doing in said locked room, so dog doesn't come out to attack the "invader" (aka the vacuum).

3. Keep kid and dog off freshly mopped floors until dry. Bribes work best (cookies for all--dog and kid). Just make sure kid knows not to feed dog the chocolate chip ones.

4. Start laundry before it becomes 150 degrees outside. Sure, I could dry it all outside, but the birds don't like me right now (see car for proof) and the clothesline I ordered is not in yet.

5. Finally, sit down, relax and enjoy that coffee...ahh!

The moments of the weekend won't last for long. Monday will be here in no time!

Stay tuned!

Heat and furry friends

Yes, in summertime in these parts, you always hear stories about people leaving their dogs (and  sometimes their kids) in the car "for just a minute."

Since WildDog is getting older and belongs to the Loyal Order of Double-Coated Dogs he needed a good bath and grooming.

He now looks a lot lighter, and he's happy he's escaped those groomers, even though they were very nice.

I bribed him with cookies before and after. I'm just hoping he doesn't leave as many hair clumps all around the house.

A wonderful present

“My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there”
Charles F. Kettering quotes (American engineer, inventor of the electric starter, 1876-1958)

Today is my best friend's birthday. We went out to celebrate recently on my day off. We escaped children, dogs and husbands to sit and enjoy ourselves discussing everything and nothing at all. Thank goodness we had a wonderful waitress who didn't mind that we took a two hour lunch chitchatting!

And today, I got a present. Besides having a wonderful friend, I found out I was chosen to work in a different part of the Hotel. It will be a change from my normal routine, but it will be interesting nevertheless. I have never interacted with patients daily in this type of clinic, so it will be exciting.

I'm still on hold as to when I'll move to that area of the Hotel. I can now wait without wondering what was going on in HR.

Stay tuned...

When it rains...

It pours, the lights flicker, the wind shakes the windows and WildDog starts opening doors to tell us he's not staying in a room by himself.

No, siree, I'm a guard dog and I'm "guarding" you whether you like it or not.

At least he does not destroy things or jump in bed. He just sits on my side of the bed and whines...and I wake up to pat him on the head to quiet him.

I love summer thunderstorms. At least, it wasn't a tornado!

Little miracles

First, it was the 60 year old man floating on his roof.

Today, some survivors were found in the rubble.

Finally, when you have to make a terrible choice in a split second, sometimes, somewhere, someone is looking out for you.

And yes, I do believe all dogs go to Heaven.

Joy in the Hotel...

Yes, I know, we're not supposed to have Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but today was marked by lots of joy, and not just the "Joy to the World" medley I heard at Borders.

First, Bubba got a new cast and all his classmates signed it. When he came for an impromptu visit at lunch time today with Dahey, he also got a couple of nurses' signatures, too.

Next, one of our coworkers had her baby.  Her kids are thrilled with their newest family member, and so is the dog.

Finally, one of our patients ended a long period with a major piece of metal. Mr. Smack got his halo removed today. The neurosurgeon told him he could not shower his head, but our doc let me put a shower cap on him and hose him off, so the dirt that was stuck on him could be removed. Talk about joy! I thought he was going to dance around the Hotel, he was so happy.

When life hands you lemons....

This lady has made lemonade (see this photo). There have been a lot of stories in the news lately about service animals and schools (for more, see this CDC page), but this was the best one I've seen yet. Occasionally, we see a patient or two with a service dog on our unit.

Hope she has a big office with a nice park or something outside where she can walk with her friend at lunch.